How have the Houthis, a Shi’i organization with ties to Iran, moved from a faction in Yemen’s protracted civil war to the center of widening conflict in the Middle East? In response to Israel’s strikes on Gaza, this group of Yemeni militants has launched a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, disrupting an important global trade route. The United States and United Kingdom have responded with airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, threatening to create a new front in a rapidly-escalating regional crisis. What is the cultural and political history of this group, how did they hone their capabilities over the span of two decades of domestic conflict, and will their campaign at sea – something they have vowed to continue – escalate the risk of a new and prolonged war in the region?

Featuring New York Times lead Pentagon reporter Eric Schmitt, who has been covering the Houthi story, UChicago Harper-Schmidt Fellow Salih Noor, and professor Stacey Philbrick Yadav, chair of International Relations at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Moderated by IOP senior director Jennifer Steinhauer.

Hot chocolate and donuts provided.

Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024

3:30 p.m. CST

Institute of Politics